Port Phillip Council has paid tribute to Spencer P Jones with a laneway naming and mural in St Kilda.
Beloved figure, guitar legend and genuine gentleman of Australian rock, Spencer P Jones has been permanently woven into the St Kilda streetscape, with Port Phillip Council unveiling Jonesy Lane and a striking new mural celebrating his life and legacy.
An unnamed laneway just steps from Fitzroy Street has officially been christened Jonesy Lane, lifting the affectionate nickname Jones’ close mates and collaborators used for him into permanent, public recognition.
Nearby, a mural bearing his image, painted by acclaimed street artist Ling, who previously created murals of Renee Geyer and Rowland S Howard in the same neighbourhood, ensures Jones remains a visible presence on streets he walked for years.
St Kilda remembers Spencer P Jones
- Where: Jonesy Lane, off Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
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His home on Jackson Street was just a short stroll from the laneway itself, and from Fitzroy Street’s live music institutions like the Prince Bandroom.
It was at the Prince, in 2018, that an extraordinary benefit concert brought together some of Australian music’s finest: the Drones, Paul Kelly, Renee Geyer, the Johnnys, Tex Perkins and Charlie Owen, Adalita and Tim Rogers, all turning out for Jones as his health declined.
Long-time St Kilda music promoter Nick Haines first proposed the laneway naming, putting forward Spencer P Jones Lane. Geographic Names Victoria couldn’t approve the full name, but embraced Jonesy Lane as a fitting alternative.
It joins a growing list of Port Phillip tributes to musical icons, including Seekers Way, Rowland S Howard Lane in St Kilda, and Hester Way in Elwood, named for Crowded House drummer Paul Hester.
Jones’ story is one of restless, uncompromising creativity. After moving from New Zealand to Australia, he became a cornerstone of some of the country’s most vital bands: the Johnnys, Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls, Sacred Cowboys and more.
From the mid-1990s he pushed further into a fierce solo career, fronting outfits like Spencer P Jones & the Last Gasp, the Escape Committee, Cow Penalty and the Nothing Butts. Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie once pegged him as the Keith Richards of Australia, without the stardom. It’s a line that captures both his greatness and his groundedness perfectly.
Australian Guitar Magazine ranked him among the nation’s top 40 guitarists, but those who knew him tend to lead with something else entirely: his generosity.
Jones was a mentor, an encourager, someone who gave freely of his knowledge and enthusiasm. Paul Kelly described him as endlessly enthusiastic and generous, a wonderful mentor to younger musicians and a songwriter and guitarist like no other.
In June 2018, Jones was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. He passed away in Melbourne on 21 August 2018, aged 61.
Mayor Alex Makin noted the tribute reflects the Council’s pride in Port Phillip’s music heritage and its status as Victoria’s first declared Live Music Precinct.
St Kilda Ward Councillor Serge Thomann said the lane naming recognises both a singular voice in Australian music and a cherished member of the local community, someone whose influence is now etched not just in song, but in the streets he called home.
Spencer P Jones may be gone. But in St Kilda, Jonesy lives on.
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